Avenging Angel
by Miratete
Summary: Chapter 7: "Black Flowers Blossom" posted! After a birthday party for Mary in Gene's penthouse, Calhoun & Felix and Loya & d'Arcy spend a little time sobering up at Felix's apartment, and the night comes to a strange and unexpected conclusion. Hero's Cuties and Hero's Beauties!
1. Falling From Grace

**Avenging Angel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter One: Falling From Grace**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Take me down, 6 underground,  
The ground beneath your feet,  
Laid out low, nothing to go  
Nowhere a way to meet  
I've got a head full of drought,  
Down here, so far off losing out  
Round here,**

Overground, watch this space,  
I'm open to falling from grace  


**Opening lyrics to "6 Underground" by Sneaker Pimps**

-o-o-o-o-o-

As the first quarter alert of the day sounded, Sgt. T. J. Calhoun stepped from the doors of her readying room and strode to the front of the unit. "All right!"

The ten soldiers jolted to attention.

"Now listen up, because I'm only going to say this once." She took her place at the head of the squad and pulled out her rifle. Somewhere at the back of the formation there was a bit of jostling—probably Torres coming in late yet again. "Fear is a four letter word, ladies. If you want to go pee-pee in your big boy slacks, keep it to yourself," she warned them. "It's make your mamas proud time!"

The first person shooter module rolled forward into place, and it was then that she caught the pale lavender glow of a code anchor wrapped around an ankle near the back of the group.

"Damn," she cursed under her breath. Wreck-It had been the first to infiltrate game play, and after that others had tried. It hadn't been easy to catch them at first—the armor and faceplates bestowed something of an anonymity to the wearers. But since the advent of the code anchors more had tried, and more had been caught by the telltale lavender light In fact she'd placed a warning sign at both ends of the train terminal stating that tourists and game-hoppers were unwelcome in _Hero's Duty_. It wasn't fair to the players, players that expected a squad of able, trained soldiers to escort them up the tower.

"Game play in three, two, one..." came the disembodied voice from above. It was too late to pull the infiltrator out of the formation.

Calhoun pulled on her helmet and addressed the player as the camera switched on. "We are humanity's last hope," she barked to the awkward twenty-something who stood there grasping the cabinet's targeting rifle. "Our mission? Destroy all Cy-Bugs."

The rumble of the opening bulkhead door began deep inside the metal beneath her feet. "Are you ready rookie? Let's find out."

As the first wave of Cy-Bugs diminished beneath the fire of the Space Marines, Calhoun paused before leading the charge into the tower at the end of the causeway, her eyes scanning the ankles of her men for the code anchor. But it wasn't the anchor that first gave away the infiltrator. It was the lithe female form of the woman wearing it.

Inside the tower they mowed down another wave of Cy-Bugs before leaping onto the first of many elevator platforms. Calhoun pushed her way to the far side of the platform where the game-hopper was trying to hide behind two of the heavy gunners. Making sure the first person shooter module was looking the other way, Calhoun shoved Davis and Marco aside and grabbed the woman by the top edge of her chestplate. "Don't think that I haven't noticed you. When this game is over, you're out of here!" As she turned away, the two men who had stood in front of her patted the infiltrator consolingly.

And the game was over soon, and true to her word, Calhoun dealt with the intruder as all the others she had caught. "Loya! Valentine! Throw the bitch in the brig."

The woman whimpered as the two men dragged her off.

"Another one, eh?" asked Kohut, putting his hands on his hips.

"Yeah. I'll go scare her after the arcade's closed and send her home crying to her mommy."

"Did you see who it was?"

"Naw. She kept her faceplate down. Definitely a woman though."

"Yeah," he said with a slight sigh to his voice.

"A round at _Tapper_'s says she's got an SNK logo stamped on her butt."

"You're on," grinned Kohut.

The sergeant cocked her head. "You took that bet awfully quick, soldier."

"She's no fighter. I could tell that, but her heart was in it."

"Hmmm..." Calhoun was already regretting the hasty bet. "Well, we'll see. Want to come along when I visit Donnie later?"

"Thanks for the offer but I'll have to pass."

-o-o-o-o-o-

After the arcade closed, Sgt. Calhoun stomped down to the holding cell in the bottom of the base.

The woman sat there on the plank-bed, still sheathed in armor and her pose one of frustration and despair. When she saw Calhoun, Kohut, and Spears enter the jail room she immediately went to the bars of the cell and gripped them tightly. "Why did you make me leave? I wanted to help!" she mourned. "I was there to kill Cy-Bugs—not just for a thrill."

"You're just a civilian," was the start of Calhoun's long tirade against any unwelcome game-hopper, not just this one. For half an hour she scolded, berated, belittled, and educated the prisoner until at last the poor woman was in tears.

"I just wanted to kill Cy-Bugs," she kept repeating over and over.

Eventually the sergeant decided to let her go, but again the girl balked. "I don't have anywhere to go. I want this to be my home now."

Calhoun was startled. "What are you talking about? No one wants to live in _Hero's Duty_. This place is Hell."

"It can be my Hell though. I want to stay and help. Please."

Angry at the woman's stubbornness and borderline insanity, Calhoun opened the cell door, grabbed the woman by the arm, and dragged her out.

"I'll just come back," she wailed.

Pushed too far, Calhoun spun around and shoved the woman up against the bars of the cell. "Who are you?" She grabbed the woman's helmet under the chin, tore it off, and threw it aside.

The three soldiers all stared open-mouthed at the infiltrator.

Her long brunette hair fell curl by curl as it escaped the damp press of the helmet's interior.

Kohut forgot all about the bet. Spears gasped audibly. She was beautiful, and not just any beautiful, but breathtakingly so.

"Please don't look at me," she whimpered and turned away from them. "I'm more than just a pretty-girl. I can be a soldier too!" she protested.

"You...you look familiar," Calhoun stammered.

"You rescued me...when my game was destroyed by Cy-Bugs." Shyly she looked back at Calhoun.

"Your game? Oh God..."

The memories suddenly came flooding back to Calhoun. Despite the vigilance of the Space Marines, one game in Litwak's Arcade had fallen completely to the Cy-Bug menace.

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Avenging Angel continues in:**

**Chapter 2: Unacceptable Losses**

**Chapter 3: Fearless**

**Chapter 4: The New Girl**

**Chapter 5: Say Anything You Like**

**Chapter 6: The Ace**

**Chapter 7: Black Flowers Blossom**

**Chapter 8: Love is a Verb**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	2. Unacceptable Losses

**Avenging Angel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 2: Unacceptable Losses**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They had never been able to pin the blame on anyone, but the rampant rumors would have otherwise. Some said it had been an escapee Cy-Bug. Some said it had been sabotage from within. Some said it had been sabotage from without. Others claimed a careless tourist had brought an egg into the game.

But the truth was that by the time word reached Game Central Station the Cy-Bug infestation was beyond control. All the arriving Marines could do was evacuate whomever they could find and seal off the portal that linked _Finish Line_ to Game Central Station.

Like _Sugar Rush_, which had nearly fallen to Cy-Bugs itself, _Finish Line_ was a racing game that had called Litwak's home for well over a decade. For years it had been positioned on the Eastern Satellite Station. The denizens of _Fix-It Felix, Jr._ could just see it off to the right from atop Niceland. And like _Sugar Rush_, there were no defenses in the game, and it fell quickly to the menace.

Calhoun arrived on her hoverboard, leading her unit. Already the first few refugees were beginning to trickle out of the conduit. As she came to the speedway's heart she found several of the characters trying desperately to fight off the insects using starting pistols, automotive tools, and fire extinguishers. Screams and explosions filled the area all around. She jumped off of her cruiser and began firing.

And above the carnage she heard a woman's voice shouting behind her. "Bobby! Bobby!" Suddenly someone grabbed her around the waist. "Bobby, we have to get out of here!"

Calhoun ceased fire and turned to find a young woman there pulling at her arm.

"Bobby! C'mon!" she cried. She wore only a yellow bikini swimsuit and high-heeled sandals and had a checkered flag tucked under her arm.

"Bobby!" she wailed when Calhoun did not budge, and looking up she realized that she had mistaken someone else for her Bobby. "I'm sorry! I thought...I thought you were... I have to find Bobby!" she stuttered, her eyes full of fear and desperation. Suddenly she bolted and resumed calling for him.

"You have to get out of here!" the sergeant shouted after her. _Finish Line_'s going down!"

The bikini girl ignored her and ran toward the grandstands. "Bobby! Bobby where are you?!" she wailed in panic.

Suddenly a Cy-Bug dropped down, landing right in front of her, and raised a claw to attack. And it would have impaled her with its claw had she not stumbled back on her impractical shoes and fallen onto the pavement, and had Calhoun not blasted it the next moment.

The bikini girl had raised her arms to futilely shield herself, but on lowering them she saw the Space Marine she'd mistaken for her Bobby striding toward her. "It's too late to look for him. We have to get out of here before they seal off the portal." Calhoun seized her around the waist and began to drag her back toward her cruiser.

"I have to find Bobby," she whined.

"He's probably already been evacuated," Calhoun said, hoping the simple answer would calm her down. "Now c'mon."

A thick wave of Cy-Bugs was stampeding up the racetrack toward the grandstands and Calhoun knew the end had come. She gave the order to retreat. Jumping onto her hoverboard, she pushed the woman down onto the front of it and took off up the road that led to Game Central Station, the advancing wave of insects not too far behind them.

"I'm going to be the last one out. Have you got the detonators in place?"

"All set, Sergeant," came the response over the com-link.

"Clear everyone out of the area and get ready." And just as Calhoun's hoverboard blasted into the terminal, the sequence of explosions went off, sealing the gate to _Finish Line_ forever.

Calhoun didn't look back.

She dropped the bikini girl into a cluster of _Finish Line_ refugees, and spun her cruiser around. "All right people. Listen up! We've got a team of medics on the way. If you need help, they'll take care of you. As soon as the arcade closes tonight, we'll set up a relocation center. If you don't have anywhere to go, they're the ones to talk to."

The bikini girl was stumbling around calling for Bobby again, the checkered flag still hanging in her hand.

"I and my men have to get back to our own game, but we'll be back tonight to help where ever we can." She turned again, took a quick headcount of her men, and then ordered the unit back to _Hero's Duty_.

-o-o-o-o-o-

That night Calhoun and most of her crew returned to check the seal on _Finish Line_ and to assist however they could.

Thankfully _Finish Line_ had not been a populous game, and only some thirty or so people were needing new homes. Wondering about the bikini girl, she inquired. Her looks certainly guaranteed her a place almost anywhere, and not surprisingly she'd been very quickly offered a job with some guy named Mr. Big. "And what about this Bobby guy she kept trying to find? Did he make it out?"

The volunteer at the relocation desk looked down at his list, and then shook it sadly. "Bobby Girardi, racer, PC..." He sighed. "M.I.A."

"I see," she grunted, shaking her head sorrowfully.

"They lost about two thirds of their people."

A painful jolt ran right through her. "Two-thirds!?" How could they have lost so many?" Calhoun choked. Her hands clenched into fists. "I had no idea."

"No one saw it coming." And then he realized what was going through Calhoun's mind. "Sergeant, you did your best."

"I could have done better," she said, walking away with heavy footsteps.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Avenging Angel" continues in:**

**Chapter 3: Fearless**

**Chapter 4: The New Girl**

**Chapter 5: Say Anything You Like**

**Chapter 6: The Ace**

**Chapter 7: Black Flowers Blossom**

**Chapter 8: Love is a Verb**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	3. Fearless

**Avenging Angel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 3: Fearless**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Calm me down, bring it round  
To way high off your street  
I can see like nothing else  
In me you're better than I wanna be  
Don't think 'cos I understand, I care**

**Don't think 'cos I'm talking, we're friends**

Overground, watch this space,  
I'm open to falling from grace

**Talk me down, safe and sound  
Too strung up to sleep  
Wear me out, scream and shout  
Swear my time's never cheap**

I fake my life like I've lived  
Too much, I take whatever you're given  
Not enough,

Overground, watch this space,  
I'm open to falling from grace 

**More lyrics from "6 Underground" by Sneaker Pimps**

-o-o-o-o-o-

That bikini girl from _Finish Line_...that's who she was. The beauty had somehow found herself a suit of armor, found a rifle, and slipped into the formation. She'd probably been hiding somewhere nearby in the shadows nervously waiting for the first quarter alert. And of course the guys weren't about to say no to her. In fact she'd probably had some assistance from one or more of them in getting as far as she had. But no matter who she was, she didn't belong to _Hero's Duty_. "Now get out of here," Calhoun ordered, a bit of regret in her voice over having been so unkind to a refugee from _Finish Line_. "No more stupid stunts, okay?"

The woman stood her ground. "I lost my home. I lost Bobby. I lost my friends. And it was all because of those Cy-Bugs. I just wanted to come here and make their lives as miserable as they've made mine."

"That's our job, Princess, but thanks for the offer."

She suddenly rushed to Calhoun, their armor clattering together, the woman wrapping her hands around the top edge of Calhoun's breastplate. "Train me! I can do it! I know I can!" she pleaded anxiously.

Calhoun huffed and shoved her back. "You have a new place, and this isn't it, Princess. This game is only for the bravest and the best soldiers. Not for bimbos like you."

Lightning fast, the former bikini girl laid a hard slap across Calhoun's cheek. "I am not a bimbo!" she spat. "Don't ever call me that again!"

The three soldiers jerked in shock at the girl's attack and sudden change of temperament. Feeling a sting on her face, Calhoun licked her lip and tasted blood.

And then the girl trembled, and her hands went to her mouth in shock at her own actions. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry...I just got upset!" she apologized shamefully. "My glove must have cut you! Those little plates..." she said stepping backwards, her hands pawing at each other. "Please, I didn't mean to attack you."

Calhoun smirked and began to walk away. "Spears, find her code anchor's base unit and put it somewhere secure. Kohut, get her an HA-37 and show her to use it. I want her in formation and ready to rock tomorrow when the arcade opens.

The girl gasped and then squealed. "Thank you! Oh thank you!"

"Don't thank me," Calhoun said, and then looked back at her over her shoulder. "And don't disappoint me either."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Sgt. Calhoun found Donatello in his laboratory, sitting at his desk working on the blueprints for his one of his many inventions. "Hey, Sergeant," he greeted her genially. "Good to see you. What can I do for ya?" he asked, getting up from his chair.

She said nothing but cracked her knuckles, smirking at the turtle-mutant.

"Oh, I see." He switched off the desk lamp and grabbed his staff.

"I told you I'd come break your shell every time I found one of your blasted Code anchors in my game."

"They're a lifesaving device."

"They're a damn nuisance is what they are," she countered.

He sighed and stretched. "So who was it?"

She just gave him a look.

"Oh...the girl...yeah." There was a bit of a smile on his green face when the memory of her visits came to him. "I told her she was being foolish. I couldn't say no though. She just looked at me with those beautiful eyes and told me how much it meant to her."

Calhoun snorted. "Just pray I don't put a bullet through your gonads since that's obviously what they gave you for brains."

Donatello laughed and walked with her along the corridor to the street. "I can't help it. I'm a teenager." Reaching the exit, he paused and looked at her with a certain seriousness. "You know, I could hook you up with a Code anchor yourself. I hear you and your hubby do a lot of game-hopping."

"I'd be a hypocrite."

"You'd be safer. And you know that some games welcome tourists," he said pointedly.

"Just make it a good fight. I didn't come down here for cheese and crackers, turtle-boy."

He smirked. Of course he'd make it a good fight. And she had yet to win against him.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Sgt. Calhoun lay on her back atop the bed in Felix's apartment, her husband kneeling over her. Over dinner she'd told him the story of the infiltrator's adventure in her game and her grudge match against Donatello afterward. Felix was surprised by the infiltrator's identity and asked twice if it really was the _Finish Line_ flag girl.

And as always, the fight against Donnie had been simply an excuse to test herself, and he knew she would probably have a few good bruises if not a few injuries. He always felt it his duty as her husband to check her over and repair her, even if she was just going to tough it out. And of course he'd found the cut on his wife's lip. "No matter how many times I kiss this, it doesn't seem to get better," said Felix of it.

"Then just use your hammer," she laughed.

"Too easy," he laughed back. "And much less fun." But he took it off of the bedside table anyway and pressed it gently to her lip.

"I can't believe she slapped me for calling her a bimbo though. Talk about feisty."

"You'd do the same thing though, wouldn't you?"

"I'd make someone regenerate if they called me that. For one thing, it should be obvious I'm not. And two, they'd learn not to make that same mistake again." Calhoun sighed. "I guess she's pretty sensitive about it though. Of course I just thought she was the eye candy for _Finish Line_, and when she was relocated, she took another pretty-girl job."

"But now you'll give her a chance to be so much more."

"If she can do it. It takes more than determination to be a soldier in my game. But she stuck with us right up until the game ended on the fifth floor of the tower. Kohut said her heart was in it."

"A little training and preparation for what's ahead and maybe she'll become a fine soldier."

"We could use a few more around the base for some rotation. On busy days it seems like we're not getting the down time we could use. Triple-token Thursdays get brutal."

"I keep telling you that myself." Felix had put his hammer back in its place on the bedside table and was now nuzzling affectionately at his wife's neck.

"Anyway, I've got Kohut showing her the ropes, and I'm sure the other guys will be more than happy to help her out."

"Is she really that pretty?"

"She's gorgeous. Even I was staring."

"Really, now?" He paused. "I wonder if she remembers me. I'll have to come see her sometime," Felix said, starting to slide the strap of Calhoun's camisole off of her shoulder. 

"I don't think so," came the response. "Too dangerous. She might slap you too."

"Worried that I might stare a little too long?"

"I know you would."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Avenging Angel" continues in:**

**Chapter 4: The New Girl**

**Chapter 5: Say Anything You Like**

**Chapter 6: The Ace**

**Chapter 7: Black Flowers Blossom**

**Chapter 8: Love is a Verb**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	4. The New Girl

**Avenging Angel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 4: The New Girl**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Step right up and don't be shy  
Because you will not believe your eyes  
She's right here behind the glass  
And you're gonna like her 'cause she's got class**

**You can look inside another world  
You get to talk to a pretty girl  
She's everything you dream about**

**Don't fall in love. She's a beauty  
One in a million girls. A beauty  
Why would I lie? Why would I lie?**

**You can say anything you like  
But you can't touch the merchandise  
She'll give you every penny's worth  
But it will cost you a dollar first**

**You can step outside your little world  
You can talk to a pretty girl  
She's everything you dream about**

**Don't fall in love. She's a beauty  
She's one in a million girls, one in a million girls  
Why would I lie? Why would I lie?**

**Don't fall in love.**

**If you do you'll find out she won't love you  
**

**Lyrics to "She's a Beauty" by the Tubes**

-o-o-o-o-o-

The former bikini girl traded her skimpy attire for full battledress, enclosing herself from head to toe in black armor. But it did little to hide her curves. The men whistled when she walked up to the readying area and took a place right behind Kohut. In her hands rested one of the smaller rifles, lighter than the others, but nearly as powerful as the full-sized version. Strapped to her thigh were several grenades, and around her waist hung a gunbelt. She kept her faceplate down and practiced using the targeting system.

Sergeant Calhoun swaggered over to get a look at her. "Welcome aboard, Private..." She looked down to the girl's breastplate for her name. "Pvt. d'Arcy."

"Thank you, Sir," she said shyly. "I'll do my best." Emblazoned on her right shoulderplate were two checkered flags, their poles crossed, a distinguishing nod to who she had once been. Calhoun found it strange seeing another woman in her squad, having become so used to the hulking men she led into the tower. The female population of _Hero's Duty_ had just doubled.

"It shouldn't be a busy day. Mondays here usually aren't. But that should be good for warming you up."

In about an hour the first quarter alert sounded, and as Calhoun addressed the player, she noticed the guys all patting d'Arcy on the shoulders and giving her nods of encouragement and thumbs-up signs. The usual discontented rumbles that began their day at the arcade had been replaced with positive sounds and a definite upturn in morale.

The first player got up to the fifteenth floor before his money ran out, making for a decent test run of the new recruit. Pvt. d'Arcy had done very well under Kohut's overnight tutelage, and she kept up nicely, holding her own against the Cy-Bugs. Calhoun was pleased.

When the after-school crowd began to trickle in just past three o' clock, the slow day picked up somewhat and the quarters began to roll in. And at some point, when there were two boys playing together, one of them suddenly noticed the change in personnel. "Hey, there's a chick with the soldiers now," he said, pausing in his firing for a moment.

"That's just the bitch-lady," remarked the other, his barrage never ceasing.

"No. The sergeant's over there on your side. This is one of the soldiers."

The combat continued, the boys keeping their eyes open for the woman, and they finally got a good glimpse of d'Arcy on one of the high balcony levels. "See, there's the sergeant, and there's the girl, right next to her," said the player, swiveling the camera around to look at the women.

"You're right."

And with that began the increasing curiosity amongst the _Hero's Duty_ regulars regarding Pvt. d'Arcy, a curiosity that had them playing more often hoping for a glimpse of "the new girl."

As for the unit, the soldiers enjoyed counting her as one of the company. She quickly proved herself as talented, brave, and dignified as any of them, which they respected her for. The novelty of having a woman as a new member would have worn off quickly had she not pulled her weight or had needed babysitting on the battlefield. Over the next week Calhoun immediately noticed a change in the unit's performance and behavior. Suddenly they were shaving regularly and watching their language. Acts of heroism seemed to happen regularly in front of d'Arcy. She was probably unaware of the changes herself, but for Calhoun they were completely obvious and quite amusing. The new girl had brought back a bit of civilization and chivalry here where the Cy-Bugs were breaking it down.

Though knowing the power of her uncommonly good looks, d'Arcy kept her helmet on and faceplate down most of the time. It was easier to be "one of the boys" that way, though there was little she could do about her shape.

Kohut kept up d'Arcy's training for a month, giving her a couple of hours of instruction or practice most days before the arcade opened. Soon, besides lacking the programmed battlefield experience, she was as good as any of the other men. Whenever Calhoun asked for a report, Kohut had lots of positive things to say about her. "She's smart and fast and wants nothing more than to kill Cy-Bugs," he said. "You couldn't ask for a finer soldier."

"Thanks. I appreciate your working with her."

Kohut nodded. "I'm glad to. She's a nice girl as well." And then the tall man sighed. "I asked her if she'd like to go out sometime, on a date or something, or maybe just go for a drink at Tapper's."

Calhoun's eyebrow arched slightly. "And?"

"She turned me down."

Calhoun held up her hand and started flicking up fingers one by one. "Torres, Markowski, Loya, Green, and now you."

Kohut chuckled and shook his head, suddenly embarrassed at his confession. He'd not realized so many of the others had asked the same thing.

"She's just not ready yet, and may never be. I lost Brad, and she lost Bobby. And Bobby wasn't even backstory. He was another character."

-o-o-o-o-o-

And then came the day that d'Arcy broke the first rule of _Hero's Duty._

While the first person shooter modules pretty much drove themselves, there was a certain degree of control that the player had of them, most notably on the elevators. The elevator platforms had been intended as a way to give the players a chance to catch their breath and wipe the sweat off of their palms. But at that point, the player had complete control over the module and could drive it anywhere on the large platform as it rose, which often meant ramming it into the NPC's.

The guys were used to it, and they would just mumble "excuse me" or a curt "watch it, rookie" and then move away. But on one particular day, one of the regulars had repeatedly cornered d'Arcy on the elevator platform with the module and kept nudging her with the gun. By the time they were on the elevator to the fiftieth floor d'Arcy could take it no longer and she turned and shoved the shooter module angrily. "Leave me alone, you little pervert!" she snarled loudly.

The men all turned to look aghast at her.

The player, shocked at first that the NPC had reacted, began laughing. His friends with him also began laughing. "She called you a pervert!" squealed one of them.

Calhoun, back at the base, taken out by a claw through the gut a few floors before, had been watching the game play on the monitors. At first she was angry, but then began to laugh as well. It had to be the funniest breach of the rules she had ever seen.

Suddenly quarters and tokens poured into the machine, purchasing plenty of credits for all four stations. Apparently they were going to try for another reaction again.

But the opportunity never came. At every subsequent elevator platform, right up until the end of the game, the men seemed to always be inconveniently in the way and the shooter modules couldn't get anywhere close to the temperamental lady soldier.

When the game was over and a medal won, the survivors returned to base. D'Arcy set down her rifle and crumpled onto a bench. When Calhoun strode up she hung her head shamefully. "I know...I know. I'm sorry. He just wouldn't leave me alone, and I just sorta snapped. I have a rather short temper," she admitted.

Sgt. Calhoun stood there, arms crossed, but smirking. "I'm supposed to reprimand you at this point, but I think in this case I'll let it slide. I saw what happened on the monitors, and you actually made me laugh."

Pvt. d'Arcy looked up at her disbelievingly. "I'm not in trouble?"

"That 'little pervert' deserved it. They do that to me sometimes."

"It's not just me?"

"I can't tell you how many times they've tried that same stunt with me." Calhoun sat down on the bench and pulled off her helmet. "There was this one time..."

The quarter alert suddenly sounded, interrupting the story before it got going, and Calhoun put her helmet back on. "Well, I'll tell you another time."

"Twelve credits purchased," announced the disembodied voice.

"Looks like we're in for the long haul," commented Calhoun.

"Want me to sit this one out?" said d'Arcy timidly.

Calhoun looked down at d'Arcy. "I think they're wanting to see you again."

She bit her lip. "I'll try not to say anything."

"You know what, soldier, give them what they want. It'll be good for business."

"You want me to shove them?"

"Sure. Shove 'em and tell 'em to back off. Teach 'em a little respect."

She nodded with a wicked smile. "Sir, yes, Sir!" D'Arcy leapt to her feet and snapped her faceplate closed and ran for the formation.

Calhoun swaggered up to her mark, readying herself for the oncoming game start. Guilt had made her take in the feisty girl. The joy of having a little sister around had made it an unexpected pleasure.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Avenging Angel" continues in**

**Chapter 5: Say Anything You Like**

**Chapter 6: The Ace**

**Chapter 7: Black Flowers Blossom**

**Chapter 8: Love is a Verb**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	5. Say Anything You Like

**Avenging Angel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 5: Say Anything You Like**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**The questions in my mind  
Relay a thousand times  
I'm really still breathing**

And I'll awake again  
But can I dream till then?  
I'm frozen, yet burning up inside

Beautiful danger  
Beautiful danger  
Beautiful danger  
I'm leaving you

Beautiful danger  
Can this leave me so high?

I'm not involved in this  
I've just framed your kiss in my mind  
My heart is on ice

And if you should break through  
There's nothing I won't do  
I don't want to land  
You're touching me without hands

**Lyrics to "Beautiful Danger" by Kirsty Hawkshaw**

-o-o-o-o-o-

After closing time and perimeter checks, the full crew from _Hero's Duty_ poured into _Tapper_'s, black suits of armor filling up the small place. Tapper began sending out mugs of rootbeer as fast as he could, knowing this was going to be one heck of a night.

Fix-It Felix, Jr., having traced his wife to _Tapper_'s, popped up beside Calhoun at some point and sat on the counter as there wasn't a barstool left anywhere close to her. "So what's the occasion?"

"Engagement party," she said, grabbing his hand and kissing it. It was obvious the mug of rootbeer in her hand was neither her first nor her second.

"Really? Who's getting married?"

"Me an' Tapper. It's the only way I'll be able to pay for all the drinks and damage tonight."

Felix looked a bit flustered and confused. "I hope you're just teasing me."

"Of course she is, short stack," said Spears, punching Felix playfully on the shoulder. "Actually I'm marrying Pvt. d'Arcy."

"I am," said Kohut. "The sergeant told me to take care of her."

"I told you to train her," said Calhoun, pointing at him, and then she giggled. She only giggled after she'd had a few drinks.

"Same difference," he shrugged.

"I've not met her yet," said Felix looking around hopefully. "Is she here?"

"Somewhere," said Calhoun looking around for herself. "Pvt. Angel d'Arcy, please report to your superior," she hollered over the noise.

There was a commotion from the next counter over and the woman stumbled forward, ending up standing between Spears and Kohut. "Sir, yes, Sir!" d'Arcy said saluting enthusiastically, knocking a nearly empty mug to the top of her helmet. "Ooof!" she squeaked and realized what she'd done. "Oops!" she giggled and she set the mug down and saluted again. This probably wasn't her first drink either.

Calhoun laughed. "At ease, soldier. My husband wan..." Calhoun paused. "For heaven's sakes, girl! Take your helmet off!"

"Sorry...so used to wearing it," she apologized. D'Arcy did so, her long brunette hair tumbling out in damp curls.

"That's better. Now my husband wanted to meet you."

Felix tucked his legs up and swiveled around to face her. He'd seen her now and then over the years, but had never really met her. When _Finish Line_ had been plugged in nearly two decades ago, she had reigned for five years as the beauty queen of Litwak's Arcade. At one time Felix himself had a picture of her hanging up on the back of his closet door, at least until he lost it one poker night to one of the Nicelanders. In the picture she was wearing her usual yellow bikini and high-heeled sandals—her innocent smile, welcoming pose, and parted lips pulling at more than just the heartstrings.

But here she was, a _Hero's Duty_ soldier, enclosed in an exoskeleton of black armor, a trained killer of Cy-Bugs. "Felix, nice to meet you," she said with her winning smile.

"I heard from my wife that you were now attached to her game, and it really surprised me. I still always think of you as the _Finish Line_ flag girl."

D'Arcy sighed. "Those days are long gone. I've started my life over."

"I heard you were over working for Mr. Big."

"I do that on Thursdays and Fridays so some of his other girls get a longer break. It's not much of job really. I just hang out with him for his opening scenes and look sexy. The dress is really pretty though, and the other girls are nice."

"Well that's not so bad."

"It's not. It's just not much of a challenge though. I'd rather be fighting Cy-Bugs. But at least if I stay there I have a place to live."

"I told you, you're welcome to stay full-time in _Hero's Duty_," said Calhoun. She picked up her empty mug and waved it at Tapper. "You've got a room in the barracks."

"I don't know. It's kinda fun to live with the other girls there. There aren't any other women in _Hero's Duty_ besides the sergeant." Observing Calhoun waving her mug she picked up hers and waved it too.

"Here, have a seat," said Spears, and he tugged her gently by her hip plates toward his barstool. But he didn't get up and instead planted her onto his lap. He winked at Kohut, who was grimacing back at him. D'Arcy was too caught up in her conversation with Felix and too busy hoping for another drink to notice.

"So how do you like being a soldier?" Felix asked.

"I love it. I feel like one of the team instead of just being there on the sidelines. I never really felt that way in _Finish Line_. I was just the pretty-girl up on a platform there, waving the starting flag and the finishing flag." She leaned onto her elbows and put her chin in her hands. "I guess I feel like I'm now doing something useful. Every time I survive a level, I feel like I've accomplished something and made the world a little safer."

"That's wonderful," said Felix, finding himself staring and smiling all the more.

"I like to go out on perimeter patrols too. It's good targeting practice."

"And suddenly I have no problem getting volunteers for that," remarked Calhoun in a little aside to her husband. She finally caught Tapper's attention and was pointing at her empty mug as if he'd not be able to figure out what she wanted. "She asks to go and suddenly so does everyone else."

Pvt. d'Arcy blushed. "It's not my fault. You know I'm trying to get away from what I used to be."

"But apparently we all still remember."

"C'mon. We all know who you are and what you look like," said Kohut. "You don't have to hide like you do." True, she had been careful about hiding her appearance from the others, more than just keeping her helmet on. When she changed out of her armor before heading back home, she threw on a baggy jumpsuit and a shapeless hoodie, carefully tucking her hair out of sight. Her beauty had once been her identity, and now it simply felt like a liability in her new career. "Besides, you're now more than just a pretty face to us."

"Well thank you, Kohut. I try my best. It doesn't help that the players keep chasing me though."

They all laughed. Most days someone tried to corner her on the elevator, and it had become a regular part of her role. At first she pretended to ignore them. On the player's second try, she would excuse herself and walk away. A third try earned an angry glare and a "What?!". A fourth received a shove. The fifth try got not just a shove but an insult as well. After that any remaining members of the unit would keep between her and the shooter module. On the rare occasions when she was the last man standing, the others allowed her to pull one of Calhoun's moves. She would yank off her helmet and hit the shooter module with it, sending it wheeling back to the opposite side of the platform.

More drinks appeared and the night continued. But after finishing her fourth drink, Calhoun was giving Felix that lusty 'take me home now' look. He paid her tab while she found Valentine, seated near the back of the room at one of the tables, playing poker with some of the others. While he came along with the rest of the crew he wasn't a drinker, which made him an asset on nights like this one. At this point d'Arcy was hanging happily off of Calhoun's arm, and Calhoun pushed her in Valentine's direction. "Special mission for you, Valentine. Make sure she gets back to _Art of Fighting_ tonight...alone. If I find out otherwise, I'm hauling you over to _Undead Apocalypse III_ slathered in meat tenderizer."

"But I'd rather go home with you," wailed d'Arcy, teetering toward Calhoun again.

"I've got other plans," she said and picked up Felix under her arm just as he returned to her side. "Just stick with Valentine. He'll look after you."

"But..."

"That's an order."

She sighed and saluted and then hugged Calhoun drunkenly. "All right. If you say so. Goodnight Bobby," she whispered and tipped forward, kissed Calhoun on the lips, and teetered back over to Valentine.

On the train into _Hero's Duty_, Calhoun sat on one of the cargo shelves and transferred Felix from hanging under her arm to her lap.

"She called you 'Bobby,' back there in _Tapper_'s. What was that about?" he asked as he stretched out into a more comfortable position.

"Yeah. She does that sometimes, when she's really tired or stressed or drunk."

"She kissed you."

"Yeah, cause she thinks I'm Bobby when she's really tired, stressed, or drunk. It's kinda embarrassing when she does it in front of the men." She chuckled in a reminiscence. "The worst was this one time we got pinned down in that spot on the thirty-eighth floor."

"Oh, that spot," he said knowingly. His first full tour of _Hero's Duty _had well introduced him to 'that spot.' It always looked unassuming as one started into the large room, patrolled by only ten rather lazy Cy-Bugs. But when the ceiling broke open and the ten were joined by an ambush of ninety of their much more enthusiastic companions, the surge of adrenaline and quivering in one's stomach thrown atop the feeling of sheer terror could be overwhelming. Usually the party ended up backed into a claustrophobic alcove firing for all they were worth.

"Yeah. This was pretty early on and so it caught her completely off guard. She ended up clinging to my leg like an octopus, screaming for Bobby. And once we got through there she was all...well...I threw her onto Kohut and let him straighten her out. I mean, I think of her like a little sister and don't mind a little friendly affection, but when she starts kissing me and calling me the wrong name...C'mon. I've got better things to do. You know. Get the player to the top of the tower."

"Oh." He grinned foolishly at the thought of the beautiful d'Arcy kissing his equally beautiful wife, and his wife treating it so casually. "So who's this Bobby?"

Calhoun smirked. "Apparently he was her boyfriend back in _Finish Line_...one of the racer avatars. A popular one at that. She showed me a picture of him once that she managed to find."

"He sounds a bit familiar. And you look like him?"

"Sorta, I guess. Tall, blonde, big bangs, wore black, kinda pretty."

"Like you then, except that you're gorgeous. Not just pretty."

"Flattery don't charge these batteries," she smirked.

"Well how about this then?" He sat up in her lap, clutched her head between his gloved hands, and kissed her hard as the train pulled up at the station.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Avenging Angel" continues in**

**Chapter 6: The Ace**

**Chapter 7: Black Flowers Blossom**

**Chapter 8: Love is a Verb**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	6. The Ace

**Avenging Angel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 6: The Ace**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Love, love is a verb  
Love is a doing word  
Fearless on my breath  
Gentle impulsion  
Shakes me, makes me lighter  
Fearless on my breath**

Teardrop on the fire  
Fearless on my breath

Night, night after day  
Black flowers blossom  
Fearless on my breath  
Black flowers blossom  
Fearless on my breath

Teardrop on the fire  
Fearless on my...

Water is my eye  
Most faithful mirror  
Fearless on my breath  
Teardrop on the fire  
Of a confession  
Fearless on my breath  
Most faithful mirror  
Fearless on my breath

Teardrop on the fire  
Fearless on my breath

It's tumbling down  
It's tumbling down

**Lyrics to "Teardrop" by Massive Attack**

-o-o-o-o-o-

It had been an unusually quiet Monday and the _Hero's Duty_ console sat untouched well into the afternoon. D'Arcy sat on a small stool with Davis behind her, a variety of combs and hairclips beside him in a plastic tub, the big Marine doing her hair. It had started with a frustrating attempt of hers a couple months ago to braid her curls into something that would stay a little neater beneath her helmet and keep her locks out of her eyes. Watching her fight said locks, he'd sat her down, taken the comb, and soon had a nice clean braid running down the nape of her neck.

Davis' simple braid became a routine the days she was on duty, and over time his simple braid began to grow more complex. The heavy gunner, a man they often classed not too far below Wreck-It Ralph when it came to sheer destructive power, apparently had a way with hair. He could take out a Cy-Bug with his own hands when left without a weapon, but could also use those hands to weave her loose curls almost magically. And then he learned how to do her nails...

Even Calhoun was impressed. And on dull afternoons such as this one Davis was usually playing and experimenting with her hair, which she never minded, and even enjoyed. And as usual, a couple of the other soldiers were hanging out nearby watching him work—with some envy admittedly. No one else got to touch d'Arcy so personally.

"Bobby and I, we were like this golden couple in Finish Line," she was saying as Davis divided her hair into seven parts in preparation for something elaborate. "He was the star racer and I was his perfect girl. It was as if the programmers had coded us that way." She sighed. "He was so handsome, and he could win any race he wanted to. Most of the time he would hold back so that some of the other racers could win."

"At least that's what he told you," teased Davis.

She giggled. "Silly." And she sighed again. "He was always so gentle with me...treated me like some delicate flower up on a pedestal. I don't know why we never got married." She looked at her left hand, gloved in black and stared at the place a wedding ring would be. "I wish he could see me now, all dressed up in armor and killing Cy-Bugs. Maybe he'd take me down off that pedestal and stop babying me...not that I minded the way he treated me really, but sometimes I would have liked a little more of a relationship of camaraderie."

"Did he really look kinda like the sergeant?" asked Green.

Her cheeks flushed with pink and she punched Green in the shoulder lightly, careful not to yank her hair out from between Davis' fingers. Everyone in the unit knew her weakness, and this had not been the first time they'd teased her about it. "No he didn't. He was much prettier," she replied smartly.

"I heard that," said a bemused Calhoun, kneeling on the floor nearby throwing dice with another couple of the men.

"No offense, Sir," she smiled.

"Do you think he'd want to see you like this though?" questioned Davis, mumbling through the hairpins now held between his lips. "You being this lethal soldier, trained to kill and destroy, dressed head-to-toe in armor, hanging out with a buncha brutes like us?"

"Hmmm...probably not. Ironically I'm doing this for him though. I came here to make those bugs suffer for what they did to _Finish Line_." She closed her eyes as a few tears pooled in her long eyelashes. "I always thought someday I'd turn around and he'd be standing there, as if nothing had ever happened. Something inside of me keeps hoping that somehow he escaped _Finish Line_ and got lost or got amnesia or something." She sniffled. "It's been more than nine months now. I guess he's not coming back.

Markowski, sitting next to Green, put his hand on top of hers and squeezed it gently in sympathy.

Suddenly a quarter alert sounded. Davis spat out the hairpins, cinched together his unfinished work with an elastic band, and tapped her on the shoulderplate to let her know she was free. D'Arcy grabbed her helmet, stuffed it onto her head, and jumped into the formation behind Kohut as always.

"Game play in three, two, one..." came the voice from above. The countdown on the first person shooter module matched the announcement. Calhoun addressed the player as the camera switched on. "We are humanity's last hope," she said, her voice starting out with its usual growl, but softening a little as her speech went on. "Our mission? Destroy all Cy-Bugs."

The floor vibrated as the bulkhead doors began to move. "Are you ready, Ace? Show these ladybugs how it's done."

The guys at the back of the formation silently high-fived each other and Loya leaned forward. "You're going to love this guy," he said quietly into d'Arcy's earpiece.

The massive door opened to the causeway and there was a unanimous shout of enthusiasm as the men spilled out. D'Arcy followed Kohut as she always did, wondering who this 'Ace' was. Sometimes Sgt. Calhoun changed her term of address, a subtle heads-up to the soldiers about what to expect of the player. Sometimes the default 'rookie' was replaced with 'punk,' or 'maggot,' or 'hotshot.' There was one regular who was affectionately addressed as 'sweetheart,' and another as 'schoolboy.' When Litwak played she always addressed him as 'crackerjack.' But d'Arcy had never heard her use the term 'Ace' before, and apparently it meant something positive.

And it wasn't long before she realized why Calhoun and the others had such a high opinion of this player. He seemed to know _Hero's Duty _like the back of his hand and pushed the shooter module to the limits of its performance. He knew all the hidden tricks and where to find the weapon power-ups and where to unlock the cutscenes at. Calhoun never gave him any of the instructional advice—it was apparent that he knew as much about their game as they themselves did. In fact she didn't even have to lead. She just ran at his side and let him set the pace. He knew where they were going.

Somewhere on the thirteenth floor the inevitable happened. "Well hello, darling," said Ace, noticing d'Arcy as he spun the robot module to aim at a column of bugs rising on his left. "Who are you?" She had being trying to hang back out of his way. If the player knew _Hero's Duty_ this well, surely he would notice that she didn't belong there.

As they hopped onto the next elevator, the shooter module immediately rolled over toward d'Arcy.

"Hoo-boy...here it comes," she groaned to herself and turned half away. But instead of running into her or nudging her with the rifle, the module paused and looked her up and down.

Looking out of the corner of her eyes she glimpsed Ace. And then her head, and then her body made the same turn.

The module's camera fixed onto the name painted on her chestplate. "D'Arcy. Nice name," he commented. "I wonder why I've never seen you before." He looked her up and down again. "HA-37 rifle, three nest-breaker grenades, standard issue pistol, size two plasma knife. Are you a redraw of Schaefer?" he muttered in his appraisal.

And as Ace was checking her out, she was also checking him out through the view on the screen. He didn't look like what she had been expecting of someone Calhoun called Ace. First off, he was wearing a suit and tie. He appeared to be somewhere in his early thirties, slightly overweight, and of Chinese or Korean heritage despite a very American accent. Some sort of ID hung around his neck on a lanyard. He balanced the rifle controller unit over his shoulder while waiting for the elevator ride to end, and when it did he swung it confidently back into a firing position. The gate rolled open. "After you, Miss," he smiled, and the game continued.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"So what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" Ace asked as the party boarded the elevator to the sixty-fourth floor. Ace was checking d'Arcy out again. "You're much too lovely for _Hero's Duty_."

Calhoun, standing next to d'Arcy, nudged her. "Go ahead. You can tell him."

She couldn't believe it. Calhoun was granting permission to break the fourth wall, even encouraging her.

Ace stood there, a curious and tremulous expression on his face. He'd apparently stumbled into an undocumented cutscene attached to this undocumented character.

D'Arcy, suddenly feeling the spotlight on her, pulled off her helmet and cradled it. "Cy-Bugs destroyed my home. I lost everything...and the man I loved."

"Sorta like Sergeant Calhoun then."

She looked up from her helmet and found him staring back at her. "I want nothing more than to avenge his death," she stated. And feeling tears starting to form in her eyes, she pulled her helmet back on and turned away. Calhoun put her hand on the girl's shoulderplate supportively.

"Poor darling," Ace said softly, amazed that she had answered his question, and feeling touched by the sergeant's show of sympathy. "And you'll have your revenge," he said with a confident grin as the elevator halted and locked into place. "We're going all the way to the top today."

-o-o-o-o-o-

When they came at last to the final room where the medal hovered inside of the protective plates surrounded by a sea of Cy-Bug eggs, Ace did something d'Arcy had never seen any other player do before. Instead of fighting his way straight in toward the stairs, he carefully moved around to the far side of the room where the eggs were fewer and he was able to activate only a few at a time. Working from the back of the room to the front, they cleared it out more easily and more quickly than d'Arcy had ever seen a single player do before. While this final level was notoriously known for eating quarters and Marines, Ace made it look easy.

Eventually the room was empty of enemies, and instead of rushing up to grab his medal, Ace seemed to relish the moment, stretching out the victory sequence. He first made a quick check to see if any Cy-Bugs or their spawn remained. And then he thanked each remaining soldier by name as they stood about waiting for the final moments of the game. Coming to d'Arcy, he smiled at her. "Chin up, black rose. And maybe you and Loya could get together. He's got a sad backstory too."

D'Arcy didn't even notice what he said to the others, or his word for word synchronous recitation of the pompous victory speech the General spouted at the end. No wonder Calhoun adored him. He was like no other player she had seen before. And Loya? Why would he mention Loya?

The medal awarded, the game ended and everyone was returned to their starting positions. Calhoun was glowing and the guys were all high-fiving each other again. "So who is this Ace guy?" asked d'Arcy, running to catch up to the sergeant. He had to be pretty special as she had let him peer through the fourth wall and get a personal introduction to the newest member of the unit.

"Dunno. Just our favorite player. He shows up every few months or so and comes to Litwak's, apparently on a business trip to the area. He'll probably be back again on Wednesday or Thursday."

"You let me talk to him...I thought..."

Calhoun just winked at her and sauntered away.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When Litwak locked the door for the night and turned out the lights, the crew from _Hero's Duty_ all went over to _Tapper'_s and toasted Ace. Calhoun seemed very much impressed by him, even somewhat enamored. It showed clearly despite how carefully she tried to hide it, and she was even a bit giddy as to his return.

But all through the party, d'Arcy found herself nervously glancing at Loya, who in turn kept glancing nervously at her. Ace had suggested something she was terrified of. How could she consider seeing someone else? For all those years, more than a decade, Bobby had been her man, her pretty racer boyfriend in _Finish Line_, and to even think about dating another man made her tremble. The thought of embracing anyone but him made her shudder. Her whole life in _Hero's Duty_ was focused on Bobby's memory and turning herself into a faceless soldier, a machine set for revenge and nothing else.

But Ace, this fantastic player, seemed to think otherwise. He treated her—he treated all of them—as more than faceless soldiers. She'd seen Loya's cutscene plenty of times and knew the death of his brother, and apparently Ace knew too.

But to suggest they "get together." Was that being too imposing on them? Or was he just being cute?

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Avenging Angel" continues in**

**Chapter 7: Black Flowers Blossom**

**Chapter 8: Love is a Verb**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


	7. Black Flowers Blossom

**Avenging Angel**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 7: Black Flowers Blossom**

-o-o-o-o-o-

**Pay attention, are you listening? You're my favorite girl  
Excuse me for the moment, I'm in another world  
On a mountain, by a fountain, flowers blooming everywhere  
With Venus and Cupid, the picture's very clear**

**Hang the sign upon the door, say, 'Don't disturb this groove'  
Just a way to say that, I'm so into you  
And the feeling's so real, so don't disturb this groove**

**Erotic whispers for the listener, let the music fill the air  
Excuse me for a moment, I'm at a loss for words  
By election sheer perfection and as if these eyes would care  
Your heart is in the right place, so don't you go and change**

**Baby over and over the passion starts again  
You're my lollipops and everything and a little taste of sin  
Causing fire and desire in this mortal soul to live  
Till the angels fall from heaven and the day the earth stands still**

**Hang a sign upon the door, say, 'Don't disturb this groove'  
Just a way to say that I'm so into you  
And the feeling's so real, so don't disturb this groove  
Just a way to tell you that I'm so into you**

**Close your eyes and let the music put you in the mood  
Lock the door and turn the phone off, it's time for me and you  
Hang the sign upon the door, say, 'Don't disturb this groove'**

**Lyrics to "Don't Disturb this Groove" by The System**

-o-o-o-o-o-

Ten months had passed since the loss of _Finish Line_. Litwak had long ago removed the mysteriously dead machine and replaced it with _Eighteen Holes of Doom_, a game that would have been rather boring golf fare, save for the fact that monsters roamed the course and needed dispatching. There was nothing quite like having a werewolf savage your caddy or a mummy suddenly erupt from a sand trap.

Pvt. d'Arcy, a soldier some eight months now, continued to divide her time between _Hero's Duty_ and _Art of Fighting_, and it seemed that she felt she should perhaps try to let her guard down regarding Loya. She finally relented and went out on a non-romantic date to _Dance Dance Revolution_ with him, even going wearing something other than her armor—not that her baggy jumpsuit was much of an improvement appearance-wise. Of course half of the unit had shown up that night, "completely by coincidence" they said, but it was obviously to chaperone and spy, both out of good intentions and curiosity.

Loya tried again, inviting her out to _Amusement Park Party_, a colorful game aimed at Litwak's younger patrons, where players chased monkeys, burst balloons, reached for the brass ring on the carousel, and dodged pies thrown by clowns. But after hours it was considered acceptable date fare. There were plenty of carnival rides to enjoy, and this time the guys in the unit didn't follow. Much to d'Arcy's surprise she had a good time, and had even shed her jumpsuit in favor of a sweater and jeans. While it felt as if she were trying to force the wrong ends of two magnets together, she did manage to hold Loya's hand on the Ferris wheel. And after a while she discovered it wasn't as difficult or as guilt-inducing as she had told herself it would be.

She was eager to return the favor of asking her out, and this time she invited him to come with her and some of her girlfriends to T_he Illusion_, a fancy bar that made up one of the stages in _King of Fighters_. Usually the unit avoided it as there was a dress code, armor being unwelcome, besides being on the other side of the arcade. D'Arcy surprised Loya though by wearing a pretty dress—a rather modest dress, but a dress none-the-less.

And not too long after that, Big Gene, the mayor of Niceland, made plans for a birthday party for Mary. As irritable as Gene could be, he knew how to entertain and few invitations were refused. Felix and Calhoun of course expected their invite, but surprisingly one was sent to d'Arcy as well. Naturally, she asked her sergeant about it. "Well, wear something attractive, maybe bring a date, leave before Gene's had too much to drink," Calhoun advised. "Oh, and just to warn you, you'll be tall compared to everyone in Felix's game." She held her hand a few feet off of the floor to demonstrate the average height of a Nicelander.

"I guess so."

She did come, and it hadn't taken anything to get Loya to come with her. He even went over to the Western Edge Station to pick her up. On seeing her standing outside of the terminal to _Art of Fighting_ he barely recognized her. She was wearing her high-heeled sandals with a short white dress that clung to her figure. A belt with checkered flag pattern hung around her hips. "You look fantastic," he said, amazed that she had relaxed enough to wear something so revealing.

"Thank you. It's the dress Mr. Big gave me to wear, but the belt is mine."

"It's really attractive on you. Did Davis do your hair? It looks fabulous."

"Thank you," she smiled again. "He did. And you look good in your dress uniform too."

"Well thanks, Angel."

"And thanks for coming. I've never been to _Fix-It Felix, Jr._ so I'm feeling a bit lost already."

"Well I'm glad you invited me, but I've never been there either. So we can be lost together, which is better than being lost alone." Loya held out his arm to her.

"So right," she smiled as she took it.

-o-o-o-o-o-

When the birthday party began to wind down the sergeant invited d'Arcy and Loya over to Felix's apartment to relax for a while before heading home. The four of them stumbled from the penthouse to the elevator and down to Felix's place, Calhoun and d'Arcy hanging onto Loya for support, both having overindulged in Gene's cocktails. Felix opened the door and Loya pulled the two women inside where they collapsed onto the sofa. D'Arcy was giggling and Calhoun was just grinning her lopsided grin.

Curious as to where the sergeant spent half of her nights, Loya looked around the apartment. He peered out of the windows and peeped in the open bedroom door and leaned into the kitchen where Felix was filling glasses with ice and soda. "Nice place you've got here," he said after the quick inspection and took off his jacket.

"Thanks," responded Felix.

Loya hung his jacket and d'Arcy's purse on the coat rack next to the front door. The women were taking off their shoes, and as d'Arcy leaned over to unbuckle her sandal she tipped over and lurched into Calhoun's lap. "I've fallen, Sergeant!" she giggled and flailed her foot trying to get rid of the sandal. "Medic!"

Loya was carefully squeezing himself into one of the Nicelander-sized chairs and laughing at his date's tipsy antics. She could be so innocently cute at times.

Calhoun just smiled down at her. "I'm afraid you're done for, soldier. You'll just have to wait until game over."

"Awww," she pouted. "But I'm humanity's last hope." With a resigning sigh she closed her eyes and folded her hands over her chest in imitation of a body laid out for burial.

Calhoun reached down and tenderly stroked the girl's forehead. And then d'Arcy's eyes opened again. "Don't let those Cy-Bugs defile my corpse," she said. "You can touch me all you want, but I don't want those filthy bugs all over me."

Calhoun rarely blushed, but she was now. She slid her hand down and closed the brunette's eyes. "Shhh. You're dead."

"Sir, yes, Sir."

"Shhh!"

Felix came in with the drinks on a tray and set it down onto the coffee table, and then he took off his jacket and loosened his tie and leaned on the back of the chair. It was quite a sight, his wife sitting there in her red cocktail dress and the flag girl in white lying with her long hair and braids spilling across Tammy's lap and legs. "I was going to make some sandwiches," he said. "I need something more than shrimp cocktail and cake for dinner."

"Hey, I'll give you a hand," said Loya, getting up from his tight seat. Watching his date and the sergeant practically flirting with each other on the couch was making him feel strangely warm and excited, and he decided that a break would be good before he did or said something embarrassing. He followed the handyman into the kitchen.

"Make mine a double," called Calhoun after them. "I'm rather hungry myself."

"Will do," called back Felix.

"Thanks, sunshine," she smirked.

D'Arcy's eyes opened. "Bobby always called me sunshine," she blurted. Suddenly tears began to spill from her eyes.

"Ooh, hey, there's no need to cry."

The girl only continued though.

"Awww...I'm sorry. I didn't know that's what he called you." She wedged her hands under the girl and sat her up again.

"I'm sorry," d'Arcy sniffled. "He always called me that because of my smile and because I always wore yellow."

"Brad used to call me his 'dynamite gal,' and when Felix called me that once I went all to pieces."

She managed a weak smile. "Just like me then."

Calhoun put her arm around her in a rare moment of compassion. "We're a lot alike, aren't we."

"I miss him so much," d'Arcy sighed. "And it's bad enough that you look like him, but when you say the same things too."

"I don't look like him," Calhoun protested.

"You do. The first time I ever saw you, I thought you were him. Your hair and height are exactly the same. He was kinda a pretty boy. In fact he was really pretty." She suddenly threw her arms around Calhoun's neck and sobbed into her shoulder.

"I know how you feel," sighed Calhoun, holding her. "When I lost Brad, I kept seeing him everywhere. Sometimes I'd catch an odd glimpse of one of the men and for a moment I'd think it was him. It took a long time for that to stop happening. I guess it does still happen now and then." Calhoun looked around for a a handkerchief and found one in her little clutch purse. She gave it to d'Arcy, who dabbed her eyes with it.

"Thank you, Sergeant," she said and dried her tears.

"It will pass, and please call me Tamora. We're not on duty right now."

"Only if you call me Angel."

"All right."

Suddenly there was a peal of mixed laughter from the kitchen. The guys were obviously having a good time making sandwiches.

Calhoun leaned toward the coffee table and picked up the soda Felix had brought for her. "So, what do you think of Loya?" she asked quietly and took a drink. "You've been on a few dates now."

"He's really nice to me and a good soldier. It's still just hard for me to think of being in a relationship with anyone else. And I don't know if he's serious at all. He seems so afraid to make a move. I know my looks can be intimidating, and he's just so professional regarding his role in _Hero's Duty_."

"I think he'd be good for you, and it would probably be good for him too. He could use a little unwinding. But maybe you have to make the first move. I never thought of him as shy, but I think it's more that he respects your need to mourn. Here, have a drink," she said, picking up d'Arcy's drink and handing it to her.

D'Arcy drank half of it in one go. And then she sighed. "Ace told me that Loya and I should get together, so that's why I gave him a try. But I'm just so unsure."

"Yeah, I was there. Hey, I'd trust Ace."

"You would?"

"He seems to know as much about us as we do ourselves."

"He doesn't know Bobby though." She impulsively downed the rest of her soda. "And he never will."

Calhoun took her hand and squeezed it. And then d'Arcy looked at Calhoun, staring into her eyes, and while Calhoun was staring back trying to figure out why, d'Arcy suddenly put down her glass, threw her arms around Calhoun's neck again, and forced her lips against hers.

Calhoun's first reaction was to ignore it in the sense that it was completely normal that d'Arcy was kissing her so intimately. She'd done it plenty of times before. But when the kiss did not break, Calhoun sat rigid in surprise and resistance. But there was something about the girl's kiss that made her want to surrender. And she did, throwing her arms around d'Arcy's waist and kissing her back. Her head told her to stop, but her heart refused. What was it about this girl that made her so irresistible? Or was it the old guilt over the loss of _Finish Line_ that kept her paralyzed?

"Bobby," d'Arcy moaned against her mouth. She kissed Calhoun all the harder and the girl's hands folded around her strong shoulders and then slid up to cradle her head. They'd just been over the fact that Calhoun and Bobby did not look the same, but the seed seemed to have fallen on hard ground. Calhoun's fingers curled around the girl's slender waist And the whole time she knew it was so wrong, but she could not find the will to stop. "Bobby, I love you," d'Arcy whimpered into Calhoun's ear.

Unable to speak to correct her, Calhoun reached up and ran a hand into d'Arcy's long hair, holding her head and clutching her closely.

They weren't sure how long they had been making out when a small thump from across the room interrupted the passionate reverie. The kiss broke as they looked over to see Loya and Felix watching them from the kitchen doorway—mouths open, eyes wide, and plates of sandwiches in hand. Though one of Felix's plates was empty and the sandwich that had occupied it now sat on the floor.

The spell of the moment broken, and suddenly feeling quite embarrassed, the pair unwound from each other's grasp and d'Arcy pulled the fallen strap of her white dress back onto her shoulder.

"Don't stop on my account," mourned Felix.

"No, please continue," said Loya. "Don't mind us."

"We'll be quiet," Felix assured them.

But the strange moment of wild abandon had ended and the two women leaned back into the couch, faces flushed with excitement and embarrassment. Calhoun rested her elbow on the arm of the sofa and hid her face behind her fingers.

"It...it just sorta happened," d'Arcy confessed, taking the blame. "I got lonely and I saw Bobby. I just sorta...kissed him...I mean, her, Calhoun."

Loya set down the plates in his hand, walked into the living room, and pulled d'Arcy to her feet. "I know I don't look like him, but would you kiss me too?" he asked, his tone eager, his eyes pleading, and his cheeks as red as hers. Seeing the two women cuddling together earlier had stirred his blood, but watching them kiss and grope had gotten him completely worked up.

D'Arcy said nothing but tilted her face upwards, closed her eyes, and puckered her lips.

Loya wrapped his arms around her and began to kiss her passionately. "Angel, I'm crazy about you," he gasped after a minute.

"Loya..." she breathed and pulled their faces together again as if their world were about to end. His lips parted of their own accord to let d'Arcy's tongue into his mouth. And after another minute, he swept her up into his arms, carried her to the bedroom, and shoved the door closed behind them with his foot. And then a few moments later he came back out and grabbed their sandwich plates. "Goodnight," he said as he went back into the bedroom, closing the door behind himself again.

Felix wandered over to the coffee table and set the plates down. "They just stole our bedroom," he said with some disbelief as he picked up the fallen sandwich and began to eat it, his mind obviously elsewhere. He sat down next to his wife and looked off to where the other two had disappeared.

"I think they need some time alone. We still have our couch though," Calhoun said grinning at him, completely worked up herself. She reached over, grabbed a sandwich, and took a big bite of it, and set it back on the plate. "I'm not sure why it happened, but once she started kissing me, I couldn't stop. I've either had way too much to drink, or she's programmed to be completely irresistible." She looked over at her husband where he was eating his sandwich. "I hope you didn't get too jealous."

"Jealous? "No, m'am. I'm sorry for interrupting, too." He looked at the bedroom door again. "So she started it?"

"Yeah."

Felix swallowed. "We saw you two there and I kinda lost track after that."

"So you're not jealous?" she asked, and knew she had stumbled into something she had not known about Felix. "Are you sure? Seeing your wife kissing someone else?"

"Jealous? Uh...no. Watching you two kiss...it was... it was..." He could not continue the confession, his face turning so red in embarrassment that Calhoun could almost feel the warmth of his skin. But his awkward fumbling for words and adorable blush told enough of the story. He quickly ate the rest of his sandwich.

"So you liked watching that?" She took a big bite of her sandwich, tossed the rest of it onto her plate, and grabbed Felix by his loosened tie. Grinning at him she pulled him close and set to work at getting Felix out of the rest of his clothing.

He didn't resist.

Felix pushed his lips to hers, then kicked against the arm of the couch to throw their balance. She fell backwards onto the couch cushions with Felix on top of her. He began nuzzling her neck, enjoying the mixed scents of her skin and d'Arcy's perfume.

She smirked. "It's probably for the best that you did interrupt. Who knows what might have happened."

"Oh I don't know," he blushed, his cheeks still aflame. He draped his arms over her shoulders. "A bit of encouragement seems to have worked for Loya and Angel," he said, diverting the subject. "It's about time those two got together,"

"It seems to have worked for us too."

"Like what doesn't work for us?" he smiled, nibbling at her ear.

-o-o-o-o-o-

"**Avenging Angel" continues in**

**Chapter 8: Love is a Verb**

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Wreck-It Ralph _and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.


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